3. Bridge opens on Friday

1. The bridge opens on Friday: Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, stated that the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the highways are completely finished, except for the final stages of the landscape and cleaning, “All work, including cleaning, will be finished on Tuesday at the latest. On Friday, August 26, we will put our country's pride project into our country's service ”.

Minister Arslan, who visited the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and received information from the authorities, said that the 95 km connection highways completed as the main axle together with the bridge and the connection roads completed 215 km with the bridge were signed by President Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker Kahraman, Prime Minister Yıldırım and He said that it will open with the participation of guests from abroad.
The 36 for the bridge is foreseen but the 27 is completed in the month, Arslan said that this is a huge project completed in record time.
Arslan, noting that the project's cost per billion of 8,5, 27 months of the completion of a project of this magnitude was reported that records only in terms of the world not in terms of Turkey.
Reminding that President Erdoğan, Prime Minister Yıldırım and himself have been following the project from the beginning, making examinations and making statements about the project, Arslan continued his words as follows:
“Today we made examinations on the route again. The point we have come is that; bridges and highways are now completely finished, except for the final stages of the landscape and cleaning. We will have finished the cleaning in a day or two. All work, including cleaning, will be finished on Tuesday at the latest. On Friday, August 26, we will put the pride project of our country into the service of our country. "
Arslan, 8 lane road and 2 lane in total 59 striped total of the bridge with the 322 meter width is the first in the world, XNUMX meter tower height is the first in the world said that the height.

• "5,1 million trees will be planted"

Arslan, the bridge with the build-operate-transfer model was made without using public resources reminded.
Arslan, who talked about whether the bridge is harmful to Istanbul and the environment, used the following statements:
“By taking the burden of Istanbul from heavy vehicles, we will especially reduce emissions, and we will take over both the traffic burden and the environmentally harmful burdens of Istanbul, which is the world's favorite capital city with its historical texture. Together with our Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs and the General Directorate of Forestry, we followed the process meticulously from beginning to end. Approximately 300 thousand trees were transferred to other places. On the other hand, we have planted 2,5 million trees in this project. However, we are planting 10 thousand more trees a day, and we will plant 5 million 100 thousand trees on the project route. In other words, it is about 17-18 times the transferred trees. "
Arslan stated that these projects were not only by the efforts of bureaucrats and company owners, but that the projects emerged with the contribution of the Turkish engineer, technician, technician, worker, and reason.

• "We want to get the share of our country from the 31 trillion dollar cake"

That used to transfer large projects in Turkey Arslan, geography, such as the transition line from Europe to Asia Anatolia said they wanted to make continuous transport route.
Arslan stated that they wanted to turn Anatolia into a corridor in all types of uninterrupted transportation from Asia to Europe, and that 3 billion people could be reached in this geography with a 1,5-hour flight.
Minister Arslan said, “The annual trade volume of these people is 31 trillion dollars. While this volume is realized, there is a transportation potential of 75 billion dollars a year. While doing all the big projects, we want to get the share of our country from 31 trillion dollars of trade pie through our transportation projects. " used the expressions.
Stating that the railway, on which they have carried out the studies of the project, will be connected to the Third Airport by the bridge starting from Akyazı, Arslan, Halkalıreported that they will connect to the international high-speed train corridor from Kapıkule.

• "There will be no change in the fee"

Arslan said, “Osman Gazi Bridge was free during Ramadan Feast. This place also reaches the Eid al-Adha. Will it be free here? " He reminded that the Osman Gazi Bridge is free of charge during the holiday with the request of President Erdoğan and the acceptance of the relevant company.
Noting that it is not possible to be free from the opening of the third bridge until the end of the holiday, Erdogan said that he likes to surprise the citizen and that if he has a request for free on eid, it will be evaluated.
Arslan gave the following information on a question about the toll:
“We prepared a dollar-indexed contract, especially because it is an international project and the financing is mainly from abroad. Our contract is $ 3 + VAT for cars. Escalation in the dollar over the years is also taken into account. When we come to today from the tender process, the toll of the bridge is based on the dollar bill on January 1 and is valid for 1 year. Therefore, the fees we will apply on August 26 are calculated based on the dollar rate on January 1, 2016. It is 9 lira and 90 kuruş. There is no change in this fee.
When it comes to large vehicles, depending on the size and axes of the vehicles, the contract determines which vehicles will be charged with the equivalent price depending on the automobile price. As of today, 4 lira corresponds to 21 kurus for trucks that we call 29 axle heavy vehicles. The whole point is the price charged for cars and the coefficients depending on it. "

• "Heavy vehicles will have to pass here"

In response to a question as to whether the heavy vehicles could pass through the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Arslan continued:
“We have always said that the burden on a historical city like Istanbul should be reduced. The sine qua non of this is that heavy vehicles are obliged to use the Third Bridge completely. We are currently working with our Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. UKOME takes his decision. Heavy vehicles have to use Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, they will. Although the distance seems to be getting a little longer, it will be advantageous for them when you consider the traffic congestion experienced in FSM and the loss of time and fuel. "
Arslan, heavy vehicles can not use the bridge during the hours they waited and create traffic jams around here, it would be blocked, he said.
“All heavy vehicles will be able to use this bridge 7 hours a day, 24 days a week. As of August 26, heavy vehicles will definitely not be able to use the Second Bridge, they have to use this bridge, ”Arslan said, adding that if the vehicles are directed to this bridge, the traffic on other bridges will be reduced and the traffic will be relieved on both sides.

• "Connection road fee will be charged per kilometer"

Arslan commented that the debates about whether the name of the bridge will change or not are on the agenda again, “Just as Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli is a value for us, Yavuz Sultan Selim is also a value for us. Nobody should doubt this. We are not after segregation, but by carrying our facts and values ​​to this day and consolidating the brotherhood. " he spoke.
Minister Arslan said, “If we set out from what you said, we will be the reason for the separation. On the contrary, we want to consolidate the brotherhood that lasted a thousand years in this geography by embracing everyone. " said.
In response to a question about the cost of connecting roads, Arslan noted that the fee was 8 cents per kilometer. Arslan said, “Therefore, 8 cents per kilometer will be added to the bridge fee depending on the distance from which junction it exits, including the bridge. Automatic calculation will be done accordingly. A little bit indexed to the distance. " used the expressions.
Arslan stated that the connection roads are ready and that all connection roads from Odayeri and Mahmutbey toll booths have been completed on the European Side, and that exit and entrances from Riva, Çamlık, Paşaköy and Kurtköy are possible on the Anatolian side.